The Portland daily press., 1887-05-10
historic ORNAMENTS.
The Famous Crown Jewels of France
Broken up For Sale.

LParis Correspondence jewelers. Weekly.l
Several weeks ago the gentlemen Of the
commission made their first visit to the
vaults of the Treasury for the purpose of
sending an installment Of the condemned"
iewelry to the melting-pot. Inspectors Of the
finances, the Director Of the Mint. represen-
tatiyes Of the Ecoles des Mines and the Mu
scum Of Natural Hlstory,sa number of ex-
perts, phOtographer-and an electrician,
all these notables and accessories-were in
attendance in addition to the Commission
ers 1t was the event Of lifetime to des-
scend on such an errand into the deep and
dark vaults Of the Treasury. As the eager
company collected around the long baize-cov-
cred table ON which the gems were display
ed, under the soft radiance OF the electric
light, conversation which had before been
quite animated became monosyllabic hushed
under the influence OF the weird SPELL The
jewels are kept In large, strong box, which
Is deposited in the safe Of vault adjacent to
the one we were in. There are three locks
to the safe, each requiring a different key,
and one OF these keys Is In the possession Of
each of the three members Of the commits
sion. Consequently the safe can be opened
only when all three are present at the same
time, hence this first act Of the drama really
partook Of the character of a ceremony. To
see two grave and reverend selgnors"
march up to the safe, one after the other,
and, while all was suspense. each take his
I turn apparently In a fruitless endeavor TO
| lay bare its mysteries until a third finally
oDens it. reminds one Of the easket scene in
| The Merchant Of Venice. The commission
| ers played the role Of "open sesame" with
| the highest dramatic effect, and the Jewels
| were then taken from the box and placed
upon the table, where silvery shower from
| the electric light fell upon them, and at the
| same time Illuminated the faces of the COM
| pany. All eyes which had been fixed upon
| NJ Dauphin, the Minister Of Finances, who
was master Of ceremonies, were now riveted
upon the table.
Before our astonished gaze appeared, In
| cases Of all shapes, necklaces Of pearls, rivi-
i eres OF diamonds, jewels, crosses enriched
/ with precious stones, swords Of heavily en-
grayed gold, and the imperial crown, They
lay upon the table one blaze Of splendor, and
| for time all Of us were lost In admiration.
At length an enormous diamond emerged
from its place Of concealment. "The Re
gent" several calculated with bated breath /:
and, sure enough, it was the unique and
priceless gem, worth dukedom at'least.
First, the Jewels which were to be presery-
ed on account of their historic ass0ciatlons
or their artistic rarity; had 20 pe h hdentlnea d
| the Regent, wonderful reliquary brooch OF
| triangular form, enriched with brilliants in
the style Of Louis XV.; sword, which Is
| in 1924; "a watch Of the Dey Of Algiers, pre-
| sented by him to Louis XIV; a small black
elephant of Danish workmanship, a marvel
GUS specimen OF enameling, large engraved
1
| in the Golden Fleece; parure Of precious
| stones of the time Of Louis XVII; one OF
| the Mazarin diamonds, and finally, a small
dragon, ornamented with pearl, mounted
| on plaque Of enameled gold.
The stones which are to find a resting
| place in the museums were next examined.
| They include three diamond ornaments,
three rubies, twelve amethysts, twenty-One
opals, thirteen pearls, one lot Of small pearls,
| two lots OF turquoises, one lot Of emeralds,
one lot Of topaz roses, zone lot of pearls, one
| lot of green stones, one diamond portrait
and a miscellaneous lot destined for the
| School OF Mines, and composed Of rubies,
emeralds, sapphires and diamonds.
There remain for the sale Of the 18th Of
May 81, ,403 brillants 2l JIG roses, 1858 pearls.
507 rubies, 136 sapphires, 3i2 emeralds, 52S
turquoises, 22 Opals and 4c6 miscellaneous
stones. A large part Of the stones which are
to be sold are still mounted In necklaces, pa
rures and diadems. but the mountings win
be destroyed or their identity disguised
without wholly sacrificing those of historic
significance, and the gems will ultimately
| shine upon the tables Of M. Escribe, the auc-
tioneer. in all their naked splendor.
| The work OF destruction was meanwhile
| going on. A few blows of the hammer made
Of the imperial crown mere lump Of gold.
ready to be taken to the mint. M. Benjamin
| Raspail, who, smarting under the recollec-
tion of his treatment at the hands OF Napo-
leon Ill, has been one Of the leading spirits
in this proclamation Of the names Of royalty.
|
isfacti0n Of destroying the royal crown, but.
owing to a severe fall, he was confined to the
house, and was therefore obliged to rest con-
| tent with the instrument of destruction, the
| hammer as a souvenir. His absence Is to be
regretted, for the spectacle Of man calmly
knocking to pieces, with his own hands, the
crown of a monarch by whom he had been
prosecuted, would have been strangely dra-
matte and phenomenon scarcely possible
in any but these times of political miracles.
After considerable time spent in dis
secting" the Jewels, the task was suspended
until a week later, when the experts and
their assistants jewellers agoinsdescended'into
the vaults and completed the work Of de-
struction. All the precious metal obtained
from the mountings was carefully weighed
! and sent to the mint. Some OF the minor
, foreign decorations being of silver, studded
with roses, were put into azotic acid to dis
solve. Under the action Of this powerful
agent the stones will be deposited at the
bottom Of the vessel and the inevitable loss
| of silver will be insignificant
The sale, which is to take place at the Pa
) | vilion de Flore, in the Tuilleries, will be ar
imposing ''ceremony"-the last sad rites o1
! royalty. 1T Is proposed to ornament the auc
tion hall with the most gorgeous tapestries
and furnish 1t with easy chairs and tables
from the "Garde Meuble,' for the sale ha:
} attracted so much attention since the an
, nouncement that 1t will doubtless be attend
ed by people Of rank and wealth from every
quarter OF the globe, as well as by hundreds
. Of dealers